


The One With The Kindness The Others Couldn't Match - Epilogue

by AceofEnder



Series: The One With The Kindness The Others Couldn't Match [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23845267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceofEnder/pseuds/AceofEnder
Summary: Tim feels uneasy and unsure, but he knows to put faith in his family
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Tim Drake
Series: The One With The Kindness The Others Couldn't Match [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718176
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	The One With The Kindness The Others Couldn't Match - Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO HI YES, IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH CLICHÉ ENDINGS OR ME MAKING A RANDOM DAY TIM’S BIRTHDAY, THEN PLEASE DON’T READ THIS. I AM AWARE WHEN HIS BIRTHDAY IS CANONICALLY THIS IS MY OWN WORK OF FICTION THANK YOU <3

October 26th, evening. “Hey, are you okay?” She spoke softly, careful not to speak in broken dialect, sitting down next to her younger brother. “As okay as I can be. Why?” He stared down at his hands, refusing to look up at her. “Figured you’d say that, can’t blame you after last night. We had been looking for you for hours you know.” She looked at his fidgeting hands, her words coming out in a stutter, but he knew exactly what she was saying. He stayed quiet for a moment, before mumbling a soft apology. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I don’t have the words to make you feel better, not now. Take your time to think, don’t try to take on the whole world at once Tim. There’s nothing I can say right now to make you feel understood, to make you feel better about what happened, but I’m here for you no matter what.” She spoke calmly, not obsessing over how broken it must have sounded to anyone else because she knew he would hear her crystal clear. She laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her for a moment before turning away quickly “Thanks Cass, I guess.” He whispered his response.

As soon as she left to give him space, he started to think, think about everything he would have been leaving behind had he jumped a second earlier. Thinking about the people he would have had to let go of, the people he wanted to think should let go of him, he wanted to believe it was a mistake to save him, but he couldn’t help but think back to the faces of his siblings and friends. Standing on that ledge, holding his arm like it was the end of the world. Watching their faces turn from fear to relief, watching the realization in his family’s eyes that they caught him just in time, blinking before seeing Jason and Cassandra holding onto him with a death grip. Dick and Damian supporting them and starting to pull them back a bit, Stephanie and Barbara running over catching up to them, Connor and Bart landing on the roof panicking about him. “I’m sorry.” He whispered to himself, thinking of the people he worried. “What for? You survived right? How about instead of sitting here sadly, you go be with your new family sweetheart.” His eyes snapped up to where the voice came from, seeing nothing. The familiar sweet tone and caring voice he modeled his own after, adopting it when worrying about his brothers and sisters, the voice that matched the face of the kind woman he saw the first time he looked up from the fall.

He closed his eyes, breathing in and out, letting the air in front of him fog up in the chill crisp air. “Honey, you can’t stay like this. You need to remember, remember who you’re fighting for. You protected them, let them protect you.” The voice letting out worried words, the soothing tone melting the cold wind surrounding him, letting him think clearly. “How? I don’t know what to do here?” His voice cracking, his whisper barely coming out of his throat clearly. “How do I fall back on them, when I trust them to be behind me, but I don’t know if they’ll drop me?” He spoke to the voice quietly, tears burning into his eyes as he tried to find the words to shelter him from the drowning tears on the brim of his eyes and the gusts of wind blowing his hair out of his face. “Timmy sweetheart, you’re my brilliant angel, but you think too much sometimes.” The voice rung in his ears, he closed his eyes and let his head fall. He felt two gentle hands holding the sides of his face carefully, pushing the hair from his eyes. “Honey don’t hide those tears. It’s okay to feel like this. It’s okay to be scared, you’re safe I promise. I miss you my little angel, but it wasn’t your time to come see me. It still isn’t, but I’m here watching over you until it is. Be with the rest of your family, before it’s too late.” She pushed the black hair from his eyes, he looked up and let the pain overflow from his crystal eyes.

He stayed still, tears spilling over like a glass you poured just too much into, seemingly frozen by the cold around him. He felt himself warm up, hearing those words, whether it was real or in his head he would never know, but he knew the words were true. “I’m ready.” He whispered to himself softly, standing up and running his fingers through his frosted hair and feeling the tranquil relief spread through his body. He was no longer frozen, the warmth they shared with him was enough to help him survive, even if it was only long enough to admit he needed help. He smiled softly, this time a real smile shattered the wall over his emotions, and whispered to the wind and sky. “Thank you.”

Tim stepped inside to see his family sitting at the table waiting for him. Cass gave him a smile and patted at the seat beside her “Well, are you going to come sit with me or betray me for Jay?” She grinned at Jason when Tim sat next to her, letting out a laugh. Jason feigned heartbreak and started going on about how he was utterly defeated by Cassandra. Damian pour Tim a drink, Dick ruffled his hair, and Stephanie and Barbara started bringing more food over. This was how it was supposed to be, right? He thought to himself contently. He heard yelling and turned around to see Connor and Bart shoving each other to get to the seat by him first, his friends all invited over by Cass, Alfred, and Jason. Bart won the rock-paper-scissors fight and got to sit next to him, Connor sitting next to Jason across from Tim. Everyone sat down, getting plates of food, drinks poured by Damian and Barbara, everyone laughing at Bart shoveling food into to his mouth. Damian about to make a comment on it till Dick nudged him and smiled. Tim knows Dick thinks he didn’t see, he knows all of this was planned to help take his mind off of everything until he was okay, until he could admit to himself what he needed to admit to them, he knows Jason and Alfred made that coffee cake just for him. He knew they tried to be secretive about it, but he noticed anyway. He was more than thankful, keeping the relieved and thankful tears from spilling in front of everyone, they loved him he finally realized he could rely on them. He looked at his watch and watched the clock strike 12. Connor picked him up, holding him on his shoulders, everyone yelling Happy Birthday. He smiled, spilling a couple of those loving tears, this was the first time he felt safe on his birthday, he was surrounded by his family, and he knew. He knew he could trust these people to hold him up, and not drop him.


End file.
